EPIS ORDERED BACK TO SLAMMER

Three-Judge Panel Nixes His Med-Pot Appeal

It's been a roller-coaster ride through the judicial system for Bryan
Epis (pictured in a file photo from 2007) ever since the Chico man
made history of sorts in June 1997 by becoming the first person in
California arrested for growing marijuana for use by
medical-marijuana patients. That ride plunged sharply downward recently.

A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has turned
down Epis' appeal of his original 10-year federal prison sentence, of
which he has already served two years, ordering him to finish his term.

According to news reports, the judges ruled that Epis should have
known that Proposition 215, the state's med-pot law, would not
protect him from federal law. Epis, who is out on bail, said he would
appeal further. He could not be reached by the CN&R for comment by press time.